HELP: Need to use bug spray what to do with tanks?

[bacrabby]

Hey guys, My mom forgot about something she cooked in the oven for a while and there has been a build up of flies in the house and we need to use bugspray to get rid of them.

I read somewhere that if any bugspray were to reach the water in the tank, the fish would die.

So what do I do to cover or seal the tank completely?

Thanks guys

 

[Charlemagne]

Eh, hmmmm . . you're probably right, if it kills bugs it probably won't help the fishies any! Um, how are you going to be spraying it? The first thing that comes to my mind is just covering any tank openings with some towels, and maybe like a sheet of foil first. Depending on how you guys are spraying it, if you put a sheet of foil, and then 2 or 3 towels over that, I don't THINK any spray could get in it. Hope someone else comes along who can help!

 

[proudtobeafarmgirl]

I had my aquarium in my bedroom beside my bed for awhile and I like to febreeze my mattress and/or spray it with lysol just to freshen it up from time to time, I covered my 10 gallon tank with a heavy blanket and tucked it in well at the corners, sprayed mattress heavily, opened window and left blanket on tank for a half hour or so and my fish were fine. Make sure your nets, food and any other fishy accessories are moved to another room in the house and you should be okay. For bug spray I would leave the tank covered for an hour or so, may also help to prevent dying bugs that are covered in spray from falling/flying into your tank.

 

[Lucy]

I bug bombed my house in the past.
The label advises you to completely cover all the tanks and turn off the filters.
I covered the tanks with heavy blankets and sealed around the bottom with duct tape.
It's probably the same with bug spray.
If at all possible, don't spray it near the tanks.

 

[bacrabby]

Thanks Guys, well I can't spray it not near the tank coz the tank is near the kitchen. So this is what I'm gonna do just tell me if you guys find anything wrong with it.
First I'm going to cover it with a garbage bag and seal the ends with tape
then I'm gonna cover it with 2 heavy towels.
So you guys think that's enough?

 

[crazedACD]

I would see if you could use saran wrap, and wrap it off and duct tape it, then maybe throw a towel on top. Will you be using a bug bomb?

And yes...shut off the filters, and definitely shut off the air pump!

 

[bacrabby]

Ill be using a spray, and my filter is an internal power filter, so do I still have to turn it off?

 

[Aquarist]

Good morning,

I would recommend shutting everything off. Pumps, filters, air supply lines. You can use a plastic drop cloth to cover the tank.

Once the spraying is completed, open your house, the windows, turn on ceiling fans and air conditioners and let them run for 30 minutes (if you have them). Air the house before you uncover the tank. After 30 minutes uncover the tank and turn everything back on.

I've done this when I've had to bug bomb my house and everything was fine.

Ken

 

[bacrabby]

Thanks for all the answers guys.

 

[sirdarksol]

Welcome to Fishlore!
I've moved your thread to "general discussion," as "hot topics" is for debatable topics, such as evolution in aquarium fish.

 

[tatty_kassy]

I know this is going to sound lame, but on that show Billy the Exterminator, he uses a natural spray that is made from crushed crysanthemum plants. Apparently its not harmful to animals, it just affects insects.
I dunno, thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[sirdarksol]

It's good stuff, and is usable on plants that are to be eaten in short order.
I don't know what effect it would have when being breathed, though. Anything that ends up in the water is not only ingested, but also breathed in.
Going with the natural stuff is a good idea, and would severely limit any harm, but it's a good idea to still seal the aquaria off.